Mega-events are associated with significant positive implications such as enhanced international exposure of the host, improved infrastructure, increased tourist numbers, higher employment levels and tax revenues, greater feelings of patriotism among host region residents and integration of the host into the international community. Supporters of events have claimed that the occasions stimulate prominent economic gains for the host region. The economic and tourism growth that occurred in Barcelona following the 1992 Olympic Games is erroneously cited by proponents of hosting as an example of the potential benefits that an event can derive on the host. Those Games were not the sole driver of growth in the region. An analysis of previous mega-events, demonstrated that net benefits were not a necessary consequence of hosting. Comparison of pre-event estimates of the economic impact and their actual effects are universally divergent. The observation was validated by the consensus academic opinion that economic impact studies systematically overstate the benefits of hosting, and underestimate the costs. Further, different forward-looking studies of the same event, calculate vastly different predictions. The tools for calculating the economic impact, specifically Input-Output Analysis and Computable General Equilibrium, do not provide useful predictions given their dependence on the inaccurate data. With 2010 cost data having continually increased since 2003, determining the appropriate inputs to an I-O or CGE is problematic. It was identified that the weight given to the multiplier effect was also a factor in the amplification of the expected benefits. Given the poor data sets available as inputs to I-O and CGE models, the study concentrated on conducting a comprehensive Cost-Benefit Analysis of the determinants of the economic impact of the 2010 World Cup based on the premise that the identification of the relative costs and benefits of staging the event was regarded as a greater contribution to the body of knowledge on the topic. It can be expected that there will not be significant short-term economic gains; this study predicted a net cost of R8.4bn, which is marginally offset by short-term net intangible benefits. The short-term economic consequences of the 2010 World Cup are expected to be overshadowed by the long-term effects on revenues within the tourism industry. The image implication of hosting 2010 is the most salient factor in considering the economic impact of 2010, as an alteration in the national image can have long-term effects on FDI and tourism. It is however not a certainty that the international exposure that South Africa receives will be beneficial, in the instance that the World Cup is characterised by poor organisational measures or crime. The net impact of hosting is expected to be a function of the long-term benefits, which can be expected to exceed the short-terms costs, and derive a cumulative net benefit from staging 2010. The World Cup is however unlikely to stimulate the economic growth rate above levels that would have occurred had the event not been held in South Africa.

Thesis (M.A. (International Relations))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2016. / With sport becoming a worldwide phenomenon through the international nature of matches and events, International Relations (IR) academic writers have had to take note. States and cities are increasingly using major sporting events and activities to re-image themselves, promote development and regeneration. Therefore, this research report will highlight numerous connections sport and IR possess through examining the widely proclaimed developmental impacts of hosting a mega sporting event (MSE) such as the FIFA World Cup. The professionalization and resultant commodification of sporting events seen through the transnational actor FIFA and World Cups in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 will be used as case studies. These chosen cases will illustrate that in reality the FIFA World Cup is not as beneficial for host nations from the emerging or developing world as claimed. The research will be theoretically based on the perspective of neoliberalism in relation to the IR concept of Globalization. Key Words Sport, International Relations, Globalization, Neoliberalism, Mega Sporting Events, FIFA, World Cup, Development / GR 2017

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Events Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / South Africa won the right to host the first Fédération Internationale de Football (FIFA) WorldCup™ on the African continent in 2010. The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ has been heralded as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity with significant legacy benefits for South Africans. Many sport mega-event organisations tend to disregard residents’ perceptions of the events’ social, economic and environmental impacts. There is a lack of research investigating responses of residents where the event takes place, specifically studies on informal residents’ perceptions of sport mega-events. The main focus of this study is to explore the level of awareness, perceptions and attitudes of residents living in an informal settlement area in close proximity to Cape Town Stadium with respect to the impacts of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in Cape Town. A systematic, stratified random sampling technique was used to survey 370 household residents of Joe Slovo, which is the nearest informal settlement to Cape Town Stadium, three months before the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The findings revealed that the majority of the residents were aware of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and that communication from stakeholders could have improved. The residents also expressed their support for the event by indicating various levels of participation. They also generally had positive perceptions towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, but highlighted that big businesses and the wealthy and rich would mainly benefit from the event. Social concerns were related to traffic congestion, excessive noise levels, and crime. An investigation of this sort ‘paves the way’ for on-going research into residents’ perceptions of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. It is recommended that the focus should be on longitudinal impacts rather than short-term impacts and that a legacy should be left behind